BPharm(Hons) Program Prototype

Adam La Caze

28 May, 2021

Introduction

Impetus for change

  • The profession and community expectations on the profession have changed

  • The current curriculum structure was developed over 20 years ago—it has served us well, but we need a new structure to serve our goals in the current context

  • Technology, digital teaching technology, and the way students learn has changed significantly in 20 years

The aim of the curriculum is to develop science-empowered, safe, socially accountable decision-makers.

Key structural changes to the curriculum

  1. Adopt an approach to learning and that explicitly encourages and develops skills in decision-making and problem solving: inquiry-based learning (Recommendation 3)

  2. Adopt an approach to assessment that explicitly encourages and develops skills in decision-making and problem solving (Recommendation 4)

  3. Adopt blended learning strategies

  4. Develop a work-integrated learning strategy (Recommendation 6)

Summary graduate outcomes

  • Reflective critical thinkers who possess the professional knowledge and skills to collaborate with others to improve health through wise use of medicines

  • Providers of safe and effective person-centred care, who take responsibility for medication-related outcomes, and advocate for the safe and effective use of medicines in the community

  • Problem solvers who apply scientific, clinical and professional knowledge through research, inquiry and education to address existing and emerging challenges for individuals and society

  • Excellent communicators and team members, who are able to manage themselves and others, and to provide leadership in medication management

Program overview

Streams

  1. Pharmacy practice and medicines management

    • Consultation and dispensing skills
    • Work-integrated learning

  2. Pharmaceutical sciences

  3. Social pharmacy and the health system

Program outline: now

Current overview of BPharm(Hons) program

Program outline: proposed

Draft plan for BPharm(Hons) program. Course codes are placeholders. All courses are either 2 units or 4 units; 4 unit courses are indicated. The Work integrated learning program is part of the Pharmacy practice and medicines management stream in Y1--Y3.

Changes from current (and rationale)

Proposed change Rationale
Remove PHRM1012 PHRM1102 seeks to bring PHRM1012 and PHRM2011 together and increase student exposure to clinical complexity from Y1
Remove PHRM1020 Dual learning objectives of PHRM1020 to be split and provided throughout curriculum (i.e. both pharmaceutical calculations and statistical reasoning and inference)
Remove CHEM1222 Identify key components of CHEM1222 and deliver just-in-time within the pharmaceutical sciences stream
Remove PHRM3052 Some of the learning objectives can move into PHRM2500 and some can be integrated into Y2 and Y3 Pharmacy practice and medicines management courses
Remove PHRM4030 Address learning objectives in Social Pharmacy and Health System (Leadership) and Pharmacy Practice and Medicines Management (e.g. stock management). Consider opportunities for capstone projects.

Proposed change Rationale
Combine BIOM and PHRMx011/2 Further integrate physiology/pharmacology and therapeutics/pharmacy practice
Combine pharmaceutical sciences stream Combine 12 units from dose form design, drug discovery and microbiology. The proposed curriculum has 8 units in courses labelled as pharmaceutical sciences. Approximately 2 units of material to be integrated into Y1 foundational subjects and later Pharmacy practice and medicines management. Review opportunity to movie some teaching from a “drug class approach” to a “key concepts approach”.

Pharmacy Practice and Medicines Management

Stream Pharmacy practice and medicines management
Stream Aim Develop essential scientific, clinical and professional knowledge in medicines management. (See also “Dispensing and consultation skills” and “Work-integrated learning”)
Stream Objectives Demonstrate professional expertise in medicines management.
Apply scientific, clinical and professional knowledge to improve health
Deliver safe and effective person-centred care
Communicate with consumers and other health professionals to improve health

Consultation and Dispensing Skills

Stream Consultation and Dispensing Skills
Stream Aim Develop expertise in consulting with consumers and dispensing medicines in a legal, professional and clinically appropriate manner
Stream Objectives Be able to dispense medicines safely, effectively and legally
Consult with consumers to ensure safe and effective use of medicines
Appropriately manage minor ailments
Work effectively as part of the broader healthcare team to ensure safe and effective use of medicines
Deliver safe and effective person-centred care and advocate for the safe and effective use of medicines in the community

Work-integrated learning

Stream Work-integrated learning
Stream Aim Provide scaffolded and integrated experiential learning
Stream Objectives Develop and reflect on professional identity
Engage with consumers, patients, pharmacy staff and other members of the healthcare team
Demonstrate skill development in a clinical context
Practice and develop skills in applying scientific, clinical and professional knowledge to the care of individual patients

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Stream Pharmaceutical sciences
Stream Aim Develop expertise in the pharmaceutical sciences, including medicinal chemistry, drug discovery and dosage form design
Stream Objectives Integrate and apply insights from the pharmaceutical sciences to address clinical problems
Integrate and apply a range of formulation concepts in the science of dose form design
Demonstrate and apply a knowledge of drug discovery from the laboratory to the clinic
Demonstrate the skills required to perform quality control analysis of a pharmaceutical product
Promote and advocate for cultural safety and respond to health inequity
Independently source and analyse evidence that is important in the formulation and evaluation of pharmaceuticals
Compound medicines that are safe and meet all professional and legal standards

Social pharmacy and the health system

Stream Social pharmacy and the health system
Stream Aim Be able to apply the perspectives of the social sciences, psychology and the humantities to develop and reflect on how pharmacists and the health system contribute to social goals
Stream Objectives Demonstrate critical thinking skills and the ability to grapple with uncertainty
Be able to consider problems from multiple perspectives
Identify and respond to ethical challenges
Promote and advocate for cultural safety and respond to health inequity
Promote effective health behaviour change strategies
Be able to identify and respond to social determinants of ill health
Be able to manage self and others and demonstrate leadership of medicines management

Work-in-progress

Work-integrated learning strategy

Year Activities
Y1 Develop professional skills, attitudes and knowledge. Simulated entrustrable professional activity development. Encourage conversations with consumers about medicines.
Y2S1 Develop professional skills, attitudes and knowledge. Simulated entrustrable professional activity development. Placement-ready assessment hurdle (skills, attitudes and knowledge).
Y2S2 Short placement (mainly community pharmacy). Entrustrable professional activity assessment by preceptor.
Y3 Year-long embedded rotating placements. Students rotated through groups community, hospital, aged care, clinics and additional sites. Entrustrable professional activity assessment by preceptor.
Y4 Two six-week immersion placements. One in community pharmacy and one in hospital, aged care, clinics and additional sites. Enstrustable professional activity assessment by preceptor. Major students may undertake a third immersive placement in research.

Develop a horizontally-aligned, vertically-integrated assessment framework

  1. Assess the development of skills, attitudes and behaviours via a longitudinal professional portfolio assessment

  2. Ensure a balanced assessment profile targeted towards explicitly assessing decision-making and problem-solving.

  3. Consider implementing two cross-curriculum assessment hurdles:

    • Y2S1: Do students possess the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be placement-ready?
    • Y4S1: Do students possess the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be intern-ready?

Assessment profile guidelines: course-level

  • Two (min. 20% each):
    • Competency Standards Skill Assessments
      • Oral Assessment
      • Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (e.g. MiniCEX)
      • Case-based Discussion (CbD)
      • Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA)
      • Portfolio task
      • Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE); and/or
    • Scholarly Skill Assessments
      • Extended Written Task (literature review, critical analysis, authentic task, etc.)
      • Enquiry-based Research Task (data collection, academic poster, etc.)
  • No more than 30% knowledge-focused assessment: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), including Quizzes and Examinations
  • At least one 30%+ (or hurdle) Identity-Verified Assessment

Assessment profile guidelines: semester-level

  • A mix across each of the Competency Standards Skill Assessments and Scholarly Skill Assessments to ensure broad coverage and lay the foundation for the subsequent year

  • At least one team-based task

Inquiry-based learning objectives

  1. Develop thinking skills

  2. Identify and use metacognitive thinking strategies

  3. Foster the development of thinking dispositions

Thinking skills

Synthesis

  1. Combining ideas and images
    1. Composition
    2. New ideas and images
  2. Analogies
    1. Metaphor
    2. Symbolic representation

Analysis

  1. Analysing ideas
    1. Compare/Contrast
    2. Classification/Definition
    3. Parts/Whole
    4. Sequencing
  2. Analysing argument
    1. Finding reasons/Conclusions
    2. Uncovering assumptions

Evaluation

  1. Assessing basic information
    1. Reliability of sources/accuracy of observation
  2. Inference
    1. Use of evidence
      • Causal explanation
      • Prediction
      • Generalization
      • Reasoning by analogy
    2. Deduction
      • Conditional reasoning (If.. then..)
      • Categorical reasoning (Some … All …)

Complex thinking processes

  1. Decision making
  2. Problem solving

Next steps

  • Questions, comments and concerns are welcome. Contact Adam, Sarah, Christine or any member of the curriculum crew.

  • Once these broad plans are confirmed: start work on implementation. Short-term tasks include:

    • Determine learning objectives for new courses throughout the program (T&L Retreat)
    • Start development of Y1 PHRM1101, PHRM1102 courses working with the Digital Learning Uplift team for delivery in 2022